Last week was my first charity event as part of an organization here in northern Utah. It was a suicide prevention event at a junior high in Bountiful. I went as Princess Leia, and let me tell you my buns were ON POINT. Nothing is more satisfying in a Princess Leia cosplay than getting the hair down.
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| The Ensemble. Ashlee Williams |
I was on my way back to Provo from spending a weekend at Grandma's and my aunt dropped me off early at the school. I was the first person there from Kid's Heroes. I was later joined by Ant-Man, Elastigirl, Superman and Supergirl, Elsa and Anna, Black Widow, Tony Stark, Captain America and Spider-Man. The Star Wars fandom was also very well represented. We had Kylo Ren, Rey, and a TIE fighter pilot.
I learn something about the character every time I cosplay. I like to smile for photos. Princess Leia isn't actually that much of a smiler: she just looks intimidating. So I stopped smiling and started making a serious, sassy face. And it worked.
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| Davis School District |
Being Princess Leia, I couldn't help having a little bit of fun with Kylo Ren (because, spoilers, I'm his momma). My first words to him were, "Well, if it isn't my wayward son." I enjoy cosplay the most when I can be in character and interact with other characters. At one point I was walking behind him in the hallway and I helped him pulled his hood up over his helmet. And then I said, "I don't support your life choices, but I'm still your mother." Elastigirl even offered to let me babysit Jack-Jack, considering that I can handle whatever Kylo Ren can throw at me.
I had a lot of fun with Rey, however. We'd pose for photos back-to-back. When we got up on stage for the group photo, I told her, "Yes, we Skywalker ladies are short. It's the family curse." I also teased her about her coarse manners from growing up on Jakku.
Afterwards, a handful of us went out for tacos. It was a great opportunity to meet more of the Kid's Heroes team. If I do more events north of Salt Lake (which, considering my grandparents live there, it will happen) I look forward to working with them in the future.
Last Friday, I went to a cosplay karaoke night, held in a bar in the suburbs of Salt Lake. Let me tell you, I have never been to a bar and I have never been to real karaoke with alcohol before. If I had not gone with a very dear friend of mine I doubt I would have gone at all, much less have been comfortable going. The raunchy stuff stayed at a minimum until a while after the cosplay contest. My only regret is that we didn't leave sooner.
That being said, it was still a good experience and fun while it lasted. I went as Agent Carter from Captain America. I did get up and sing "Ellsworth" by Rascal Flatts but it wasn't my best performance. We were also treated to the Hulk singing "It's Not That Easy Being Green" and the Guardians of the Galaxy singing "Hooked on a Feeling". Also, Thanos sang "Bad to the Bone" and we got Gamora and Nebula to go up with him. It was great.
Photographer Mark Loertscher was there to photograph the cosplay contest. He captured one of the best photos of me as Agent Carter ever taken. Seriously, I wanted to cry when I saw it on Facebook the next day.
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| Mark Loertscher |
The main drawback is the baggy eyes. Spider-Man Noir very smoothly passed me the fake gun right when I got to the front. My lipstick was gone but my hair was still somewhat intact. I nailed the pose. It was epic.
It was really hard for me to stay in character and keep up the British accent because I was in the middle of a sinus infection breaking up. One of my favorite moments, though, was with a Winter Soldier cosplayer right after the costume contest. He'd gotten a hold of Gamora's Orb and I told him to give it to me. He hid it behind his back, naturally. I wish I could recall the dialogue perfectly but it went something like this:
"I don't have anything," Bucky said.
"Yes you do, now give it here," said Peggy.
"Why should I give it to you?"
"Because Steve would never forgive me if anything bad happened to you."
He gave it back. That was way too much fun. I guess I like being the bossy female character. If you want to have a good cosplay experience, just wait for the right moment.
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